Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 191: Alienation [Part 1]

“Careless handling?”

“Do you know how long Yongqi practiced for today’s trial?” Wei Yingluo said quietly. “Half a year.”

A boy so mature he bordered on pedantic, a prince who had trained relentlessly for nearly half a year—would he really suffer such a severe injury just because of “careless handling”?

“Half a year?” Fuheng also sensed something was wrong. “You’re sure it was half a year ago?”

After receiving confirmation from Wei Yingluo, Fuheng frowned in thought for a moment, murmuring to himself: “The new gun was issued only three days ago… So the problem must have been with the gun he had been using all along.”

After parting with Fuheng, Wei Yingluo arrived at the Princes’ Residence.

Yongqi was still lying in bed, apparently unconscious. She dismissed the serving maids, sat on the edge of the bed, and watched him for a while before suddenly saying:

“Open your eyes.”

Sure enough, Yongqi opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. “As expected, I can’t fool Mother Consort Ling.”

Wei Yingluo: “Why pretend to be asleep?”

“My wife and concubines came and cried their eyes out, and Imperial Father’s consorts came and cried too. If I had woken up then, they would have cried until the sky turned dark and the earth went dim.” Yongqi sighed. Seeing the conflicted expression on her face—half crying, half smiling—he quickly added, “I know you; Mother Consort Ling won’t cry. Don’t disappoint me.”

Wei Yingluo blinked hard, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall. “Yongqi, I’m sorry.”

Yongqi smiled. “Mother Consort Ling, it was an accident.”

Yingluo: “No, this was absolutely not an accident. Someone wanted—”

But Yongqi cut her off firmly: “Mother Consort Ling, I said it was an accident. Let it end here!”

Earlier Wei Yingluo had thought he knew nothing. Now, with this interruption, she suddenly realized… it was very possible that he already knew everything.

“…This leg is ruined.” Yongqi looked at his right leg and said calmly, “No matter how much Imperial Father favors me, in the end he still has to consider the dignity of the imperial house. The person behind this took such a huge risk and fought so desperately for the throne—all for whose sake? If we keep investigating, sooner or later it will implicate my own brothers…”

You really do understand everything.

   Wei Yingluo stared at him in a daze. He wasn’t crying, yet she couldn’t help but feel the urge to cry for him.

“Mother Consort Ling.” Yongqi suddenly looked up at her and said gently, “Can you hold me for a moment?”

Without the slightest hesitation, Wei Yingluo stepped forward and gently took him into her arms.

He rested his head on her shoulder. From this angle she couldn’t see his face, couldn’t see his expression at that moment. She only felt something hot against her shoulder, as though warm liquid was trickling down.

“Royal Mother told me to be an upright and kind person. But just now, while I lay here unable to move, all I felt inside was hatred—hatred for the one who harmed me, hatred for those brothers who can still walk normally.” Yongqi’s voice choked with low sobs. “…I cannot take revenge. I cannot pursue the truth. If we keep investigating, Imperial Father won’t just lose one son.”

“It’s all right, it’s all right. You’ll get better.” Wei Yingluo held him tightly. Tears rolled in her eyes, but they could not extinguish the raging fire burning inside her.

The one who personally harmed his own flesh-and-blood brother—the true culprit—do you now find it impossible to eat or sleep in peace?

   In another room of the Princes Residence, Yongcheng was pacing back and forth in anxiety. A eunuch came in from outside carrying a food box filled entirely with his favorite dishes, yet he had no appetite at all. He rushed over and demanded:

“Have you found out anything? Why has Imperial Father confined all the princes inside the palace?”

Jinzhong answered nervously: “This…”

“Imperial Father must suspect something!” Yongcheng was frantic. “What do I do? What do I do…”

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door from outside. Yongcheng immediately fell silent, listened for a long moment, then cautiously opened the door. Relieved, he said, “Aunt Zhen, did Her Majesty the Empress send you?”

Zhener smiled coyishly and lifted her right hand slightly. In it was also a food box. “Such a major incident happened today; surely the Prince hasn’t eaten properly. Her Majesty the Empress was worried about you and specially ordered this servant to bring you some wine and dishes to tide you over.”

With that, she gave a meaningful glance to Jinzhong, who quietly withdrew without a sound, leaving just the two of them in the room.

Yongcheng didn’t pay it much mind. To Zhener, who was personally serving him dishes, he asked, “Has Her Majesty said anything about when I’ll be allowed to return to my residence?”

Zhener’s chopsticks paused. She looked up and met his expectant gaze. “Fourth Prince, it is His Majesty’s command that all the princes remain in the Forbidden City for the time being. Please be patient.”

“Then how long exactly do I have to wait!” Yongcheng slammed the table and stood up, but realizing it was improper, he slowly sat back down. “Her Majesty is worried about me, yet I lost my temper at her. That was truly wrong of me. Please go back and tell Her Majesty that I won’t throw any more tantrums—I’ll wait patiently and behave.”

Only after forcing himself to calm down did he finally have the chance to look properly at the dishes on the table. There was meat and vegetables in abundance, and most impressively, every single item had clearly been prepared with care. His eyes softened involuntarily. “Her Majesty still remembers that my favorite is fermented-rice glutinous rice balls.”

Zhener handed him a fresh pair of chopsticks. “Of course Her Majesty the Empress keeps you in her thoughts.”

“I always accused Her Majesty of playing favorites, but in the end, she really does think of me.” Yongcheng’s face was full of joy. “Do you remember? When I was little, my throat was narrow and I couldn’t swallow normal-sized tangyuan. So Her Majesty had you personally make them in the kitchen—smaller than usual, just the right size for me…”

On the table was exactly such a bowl of fermented-rice glutinous rice balls. The bowl was small, and so were the rice balls—each one pearl-like, sprinkled on top with golden osmanthus sugar, giving off a sweet, faint wine fragrance.

“So many years have passed, and I still love your cooking the most.” Yongcheng sighed emotionally. He picked up one rice ball with his chopsticks and was just about to bring it to his mouth when, across from him, Zhener suddenly cried out, “Wait!”

Plop—

The rice ball slipped from the chopsticks and fell back into the bowl, splashing hot soup everywhere.

A few drops of hot soup landed on Yongcheng’s face. He lifted his sleeve to wipe it off, looking both puzzled and a little annoyed. “What’s wrong?”

Zhener deliberately let out a long sigh, her face showing reluctance. “My Prince, fermented-rice tangyuan is very filling. Why don’t you try the other dishes first? This duck is excellent—please have a taste.”

Although Yongcheng had always been rather careless and not particularly observant, her reaction was so blatant that even someone as blunt as him couldn’t help but grow suspicious. He set down his chopsticks. “Aunt Zhen, what exactly is going on?”

Zhener looked at him; tears actually shimmered in her eyes. After a long pause, she said, “My Prince, if you don’t like this dish, then let’s change to another.”

By now Yongcheng had completely lost his appetite. He stood up quickly, walked over to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and pressed, “Aunt Zhen, tell me the truth—what’s really wrong?”

Zhener hesitated for a long moment, then suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face. “Fourth Prince, this servant cannot bear it… I truly cannot bear it!”

Yongcheng was both shocked and terrified. His voice trembled as he asked, “Cannot bear what? What exactly… what are you planning to do to me?”

Zhener wiped her tears and directed her gaze toward the bowl of fermented-rice glutinous rice balls on the table. “Those tangyuan are laced with deadly poison… they cannot be eaten…”

“What did you say?” Yongcheng seized her arm in a flash, pulling her up from the floor. He roared in fury, “Are you saying that Mother… No! I don’t believe it!”

Zhener looked at him with pity. “After eliminating the Fifth Prince, and then eliminating you… who else would stand in the Twelfth Prince’s way?”

The world seemed to darken around him. Yongcheng’s legs gave way; he staggered and collapsed back into the chair. He raised a hand to cover his face. Through the gaps between his fingers came raw anger and terror: “Her Majesty wants to kill me… she actually wants to kill me!”

How could he simply sit and wait for death? After sitting dazed and lifeless in the chair for a moment, Yongcheng suddenly raised his head, his eyes fierce. “No—I must go see Imperial Father—”

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